COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The number of newly issued concealed-weapons licenses in Ohio is climbing at a record-breaking pace.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office reports that more than 18,700 new licenses were issued from July 1 through Sept. 30. County sheriffs also renewed more than 13,900 licenses for the same period.

DeWine says almost 82,200 new licenses were issued in the first nine months of the year. That's more than any one calendar year since authorities started issuing the permits in 2004.

The highest yearly total of licenses issued in Ohio, including new and renewed licenses, was 76,000 in 2012. More than 64,600 of those were new licenses.

Gun control has been a nationwide issue this year, and Congress unsuccessfully made moves to tighten weapons restrictions, particularly after a school shooting in Connecticut.